Golden
by shayisaslytherin
Summary: How Narcissa Black became Narcissa Malfoy.
1. Prologue

Prologue

She adored her sisters. Looked up to them, idolized them, wished to be them. Like any other little sister would. That didn't mean that she didn't get annoyed with them from time to time. And just because she got annoyed with them, that doesn't mean that she didn't love them any less.

And just because Bellatrix was making her cry, it didn't mean that she loved her any less.

Bella had her want out and was using her magic to fling her younger sisters toy around the room. She laughed as the stuffed kneazle hit the ceiling, then the floor, then the bookshelf. The toy already had stuffing coming out of its sides, and several ripped seams.

"Stop it! Stop!" Narcissa wailed again. Her voice becoming hoarse and raw. "Bella stop it! You are hurting her!"

"Her! Her!" Bella snarled. "I am hurting _her_? It is a toy, Cissy! It doesn't have feelings. No matter what you tell yourself, it will never, ever have feelings. GROW UP NARCISSA!" She bellowed as she flung the beloved toy out the open window.

"No!" The little girl shrieked as she ran to the window. She watched the toy fall through the air, tears streaming down her face.

"I thought that you had told mother that you had gotten rid of that rag! You told me that you got rid of it! Proper pureblood girls don't have their toys at the dinner table!" Bellatrix flicked her wand upwards and the toy sailed into the air once again, and smacked into her sister.

The small seven year old was knocked to the floor. Narcissa sobbed into the wooden floor. "Stop it Bella." Her pleas were hardly a whisper. "Please stop it."

A gentle hand caressed her shoulders. She felt as someone gently tucked her toy into her arms. The kneazle had been repaired and cleaned. It had been restored to it original state, save for the fact that it was slightly limper than it had been before Bellatrix had found it.

"Bella," Andromeda said in a reasonable tone. "You leave Cissy alone! You proved your point, now leave her be!"

Narcissa zoned out the rest of what her older sisters were saying. She just murmured to her stuffed animal words of comfort until Andromeda came back to her side.

"Love, Bella is gone. She went downstairs to do her music lessons." Andromeda helped her little sister into a sitting position, then kissed her forehead. "Now lets get you some tea, yeah?"

**I am not J.K. Rowling. The characters and ideas are either entirely her's or based off of her works. **


	2. Chapter 1

"What?" Druella shrieked at the Healer. "What do you mean she has an anxiety disorder? Her! My daughter! My Narcissa! How could she have an anxiety disorder, you incompetent excuse for a man?"

"Ma'am, these are the facts. Your daughter is displaying all the symptoms of having a General Anxiety Disorder, Mrs. Black." The middle aged Healer patted Narcissa on the back comfortingly, seemingly not impacted by the look of pure outrage that contorted Druella's face. "There are treatment options available, to make her life as average as possible. There are potions that she can take daily-"

"Absolutely not!" Druella shrieked. "Everyone would notice if she had to take potions! It would disgrace the family name."

Narcissa pulled her arms tighter around herself, trying to make herself as small as possible. Andi had insisted that her mother would take her to see a Healer, believing that she had a more serious problem than any of them had believed. In fact, her mother was so assured that her youngest was completely fine that she allowed the Healer into her house to begin with. She let him in just to ease Andromeda's worries and stop her constant nagging.

"Then there are other options. Weekly therapy has been shown to help people with her same condition. If she is treated as quickly and as efficiently as possible, then the problem may go away permanently."

"She doesn't have anything wrong with her. She does not have a condition. I will not allow the furtherance of this ridicule on my family. Leave now." Druella pointed her wand first and the Healer, then flicked it in the direction of the door. The massive ebony door flew open, hitting the end of its hinges loudly with a bang. "Leave and know you have insulted the great name of the Black family."

The Healer quietly gathered his belongings, dropping them into a small leather briefcase that had his name carved into it. He turned and walked out the door, calling over his shoulder "I warn you, if this disorder remains untreated, it will just become worse with time. Her forgetfulness will turn into full blown panic attacks. She will find it increasingly hard to maintain a normal life."

"GET OUT!" Druella shrieked.

The Healer turned and walked away, not bothering to say anything else. His robes swished as he walked away. Narcissa watched, feeling a bit guilty because of her mothers poor treatment of the man who was only trying to help.

"Cissy, make sure he leaves the house without taking any of our things. I don't trust him." Gruella pulled Narcissa to her feet, then shooed her gently through the door. "Then you must go to your piano lessons. Understood?"

"Yes mother," Narcissa's voice was soft and subdued. She followed the Healer, trying her best to blend in with the walls. It would have been simple enough to do that, if not for her white blonde hair. The walls of the home were thickly wallpapered in dark hues, and the floors were stained a dark, shiny ebony. Her grey dress blended in well with the home, she thought. If her hair was as dark as the rest of her families, all of her would have faded into the background.

The Healer didn't linger, he walked briskly down the long corridor. A couple of the paintings they passed looked at him, but other than that ignored him. The painting of my great-grandfather Cygnus sneered at the Healer, who had stopped, looking a bit confused.

"The entry room is over here." Narcissa opened a door to her right and gestured for the man to follow her. "The house is a bit confusing, sometimes."

The Healer jumped a bit, just then realizing that he had been followed. He nodded at the little girl, and walked into the entry room. "Thank you."

"How will I get worse?" Narcissa looked around before asking to make sure that no one was watching her. Her blue eyes were wide, and showed a sense of knowledge that were well beyond her years.

The healer looked at the little girl. He considered lying, and telling her that she would be fine. That her mother was correct and he was wrong about his diagnosis. He would have said all those things, if not for the knowing look in Narcissa's eyes.

"Don't lie to me. Please. I would like to really know."

"All the symptoms that you have described to me, the panic attacks, your fear of crowds, and your compulsive need to have everything organized, will get worse as you get older. You may even develop more problems if this remains untreated." He tried to smile, but he stopped. To smile at a child as you told them that things were going to get worse would look a bit sadistic. "You could try to find a way to get some treatment, but I cannot do much else if your mother will not allow it."

Narcissa nodded, then looked at her feet. Pressing her palms together she murmured, "Thank you."

The healer opened the door leading out of the house. He paused and pulled a piece of paper from his bag. He scrawled out his name and how to contact him, then held it out for Narcissa to take. Then he left, without another word.

As the door clicked shut, Narcissa read the paper.

_For when things get too horrible_

_M. Jefferson Daniels, Healer at St. Mungos _

_Prescription for the potion Cura Mederi to be administered to Narcissa A. Black_

**I am not J.K. Rowling. Most of the characters that will be used are her's, and most of the story line is her's. **


	3. Chapter 2

_Breathe. Remember what Andi said. Inhale. Exhale. Breathe slowly._

Narcissa struggled to maintain her composure once again. _This is the second time today_, she thought bitterly to herself. She pressed her painted fingernails into her palm, trying to regain her focus. _It's just a test. Nothing to worry about. All will be fine, if I can just calm down. _

As she was mentally chanting this to herself, she felt herself grow more panicked. _It is just a test. I. Will. Be. Fine. _

Ten minutes had elapsed before Narcissa felt calm enough to move away from the secluded corner of the library where she had been studying before she had her anxiety attack. She gathered up her belongings, making sure her papers were lined up and organized according to subject, and her quills properly stashed away in their proper place before she rose and made her way back to the dormitories.

The Ordinary Wizarding Exams were scheduled to take place tomorrow, which was the primary source of Narcissa's anxiety. When she was being rational, she knew that she would do fine. She was one of the top students in her year, receiving high marks in every class that she took. Narcissa did so well in school, that she was offered the position of Slytherin Prefect last year, a title that she respectfully declined. Her reasoning, publicly at least, was that she would lose valuable time that could be allocated towards studying if she became a Prefect. Her actual reasons, had more to do with her anxiety issues than anything else.

No one outside her sisters and mother knew of her disorder, and her mother took her secret with her to the grave when she died four years ago. Andromeda would guard her secret with her life, because of this she was who Narcissa chose to confide in when she felt so inclined. Bellatrix, on the other hand, would easily tell others about her secret should she feel the need or desire. At the moment, Bella felt that telling the world that her younger sister had an anxiety disorder would reflect badly on her.

There were times Narcissa wished that Bella would say something. Then she could do away with her pretense of the perfect pureblooded girl. She wore a mask, a mask of perfection, whenever she was in the presence of others. The only people too see through this mask had been her sisters.

"It is essential," Her mother had told her soon after the healer had diagnosed her, "that no one knows of what just transpired. It is to remain a secret, and should this secret get out, it will bring shame to the family name. No child from the house of Black has had an anxiety disorder before, and no child will have one as long as we remain."

So Druella Black decided to teach her youngest daughter to keep up the appearance of perfection, until she died. When she died, the task was given to her two older sisters. Bella had told Narcissa that on their mother's deathbed, she had made her and Andromeda promise to keep the youngest in line, and that they had agreed to do so.

Narcissa entered her dorm room, sighing in relief when she found that it was empty of the three other girls she shared it with. The carefully placed her bag inside her trunk, which was kept at the foot of her bed, and pulled out her sketchbook and pencils.

She occupied herself by drawing for the next few hours, only stopping when the light began to fade from the room.

_It is probably time for dinner, _she thought to herself. To keep up appearances, she would have to attend. It was always easier for her to go directly to the kitchen for her meals. There were less people and noise in the kitchen. She was, however, unable to skip too many public meals. The more meals she skipped, the more people would talk.

Narcissa was only a few minutes late when she made it into the Great Hall, so all the 'good' seats were taken. The 'good' seats were in the center of the table, where the most elite Slytherins would sit and gossip. Because of this, it was one of the loudest areas in the entire Great Hall. If it was up to her, she would prefer to sit at the edge of the table, as far away as she could get from the ruckus that the elite would make. Unfortunately, like her attending the dinner itself, she usually had to sit with them to keep up appearances. Today, they were too distracted to notice her taking her place at the end of the table.

While Narcissa was largely ignored, it did little to compensate for the fact that the purebloods at the center of the table made significantly more noise than usual. The sound emitted from the Slytherin table by far overshadowed the noise of the other three tables in the room. In fact, she couldn't hear anything outside of the noise from the Slytherins.

As Narcissa listened to what was going on, she realized that the noise wasn't caused by the whole of the table. In fact, the majority of the Slytherins gathered were stunned into silence.

The source of the noise was Elisa Goyle, who was screeching at Lucius Malfoy. Elisa was shouting insults (many of which using descriptions and adjectives that were very unladylike). All the while, the blonde seated across from her remained calm and stoic.

"You are so full of it, Lucius! I am sick of this, your stupid pride and even stupider friends!" Elisa yelled. Her face was red. Narcissa wondered if her face kept the expression she wore for much longer if she would prematurely get wrinkles from her creases on the forehead and nose.

"You are making a spectacle of yourself." Lucius was absurdly calm, considering his girlfriend was screaming at him at the top of her lungs.

His comment only seemed to further enrage Elisa, who turned from a red to a deep purple. "Is that all you can say? That is absolutely pathetic! You are pathetic!" While she was saying this, she leaned over the table so she could jab him with her index finger. "Did it ever occur to you that _you _caused this?" She jabbed him once again, putting extra emphasis on the word you.

"You are causing a scene. Calm down and we will discuss this later, after we finish dinner." Lucius pushed her hand away from him, then picked up his fork and resumed eating.

"You know what, I don't think we will be discussing anything. It's over. We are finished. Don't talk to me anymore." Elisa screamed these words in between sobs, tears dripping down her chin onto the table cloth. She sniffed rather loudly, and used the back of her palm to wipe her nose before she ran out of the room. Aside from the loud BANG! that came from the door as she slammed it closed behind her, the entire Great Hall was silent.

Despite Elisa's shameful conduct, Narcissa couldn't help but feel a twinge of pity for the girl. Not only because she just broke up with her boyfriend, whom she had claimed yesterday was the love of her life. She pitied her more because anyone worthwhile would not forget her disorderly and unfitting behavior this evening.

She looked back at the group of Slytherins around her. Lucius Malfoy was at the center of the table, in the middle of the elite purebloods. It was a fitting arrangement, because he was among the highest of the elite. On his left sat Evan Rosier, and on his right sat one of the Crabbe boys. Andromeda and Emily Parkinson were across the table from them.

When Andromeda looked up and saw her little sister, she beckoned her to come sit next to her. She gestured for Narcissa to come to the seat that Elisa Goyle had left.

Narcissa briefly considered acting like she didn't see her, and staying where she was already sitting. But when Lucius and Evan Rosier looked up, and noticed Andi waving her hand like a madwoman, they began clearing the things from Elisa's vacated seat. Sighing, Narcissa supposed that she might as well go. She tapped the boy next to her, saying in her most authoritative voice "Take my plate for me. I am going to sit over there." She pointed to the seat she was moving too.

The boy, whom Narcissa couldn't remember his name to save her life, obliged immediately. He immediately dropped his own fork and picked up her plate and goblet.

Narcissa chuckled a bit at the haste and urgency that the boy showed. She had learned a long time ago that everyone will do anything she or her sisters tell them to, not because of anything that she did herself, but the reputation that Bellatrix left behind. While Narcissa was not as prone to violence as Bella is, and Andromeda a very peaceful person, the majority of the students at Hogwarts didn't know that. For the most part everyone is afraid that they would curse or hex anyone that dare tell them no.

"How has your day been?" Andi asked her sister as she settled at the new seat.

"A bit monotonous and mediocre. There isn't much to tell." Narcissa said this quietly, as was her way of speaking. These words coming from anyone else may have sounded rude, but not from her.

"What do you expect? An adventure everyday? You do realize that you are at Hogwarts, not one of your books that you always have your nose jammed in. right?" Lucius interjected, gesturing at the young blonde seated across from him with his fork.

Narcissa sputtered a bit and looked down at her food awkwardly. "I don't read fantasy books."

"Good, then. Fantasy is for fools, and people who can't adapt to the real world." Lucius kicked his feet up on the table and leaned back in his chair. He started to toss his wand into the air and catch it in his hands, like a baton.

"Did either of you finish your potions homework?" Andromeda asked of Evan and Lucius.

Narcissa tuned out, not really looking up from her plate. The conversation no longer required her attention, and no longer interested her. The topic had moved on the discuss people who were older than her that she had never met before, so she couldn't contribute even if she wanted to. Anyways, just sitting there in a large group of people simply stressed her out.

"You would think that the darling daughter of the Black house would be a little better a conversationalist." Evan commented offhandedly. "Didn't either of your sisters teach you how to hold a conversation."

Narcissa's attention was immediately snapped back to the conversation that was taking place. "What? Oh. I'm just tired. I have been studying all day." She felt her ears grow red and was grateful that her hair covered them. "OWLS are tomorrow."

"Everyone knows that the tests are going on tomorrow." Evan gave her a patronizing look. "But you really aren't that good at talking to people, tests or otherwise."

"I'm just tired." Narcissa tried her best to keep their suspicions away, but her attempts were futile. All her claims actually did was spur those around her to recall, in surprising detail, specific instances where she wasn't as talkative that they deemed necessary.

"All she needs to do is practice a bit." Lucius said.

"You'd think that she would have practiced," Evan scoffed. "Who would Bellatrix talk to when they are away on breaks, the wall?"

"No she just needs to be trained a bit more. I imagine that Bellatrix's conversations are a bit one sided."

"Oh yeah, prove it!"

"Must I?"

"Yes. You are just talk, no proof. So prove it, or I won't believe you." Evan looked smug as he crossed his arms across his chest.

Lucius seemed to contemplate the situation. Narcissa imagined that he was equally disgusted at the thought of taking his personal time to help a socially inept girl as he was at the thought of insulting his own dignity. Everyone knew that the Malfoy's, really were a lot of talk, but they had the money to back up anything should they need to. But money couldn't really fix his current situation, and no Malfoy would take a blow to their own personal dignity if they could avoid it.

"Fine. Fifty galleons says that by the end of next year, she will be a social butterfly."


	4. Chapter 3

Narcissa was absolutely speechless. She didn't really know how to feel about being the center of a bet, let alone a social experiment. She looked at Andromeda for help, who only shook her head and shrugged her shoulders.

"Next year?" Evan choked out. "Why not this year?"

"Because I am only a man, not Merlin," Lucius raised his nose a bit higher in the air, his gaze looking down on those around him, daring them to challenge him. "And it would take Merlin's powers to fix her by the end of this year."

"Wow, finally something Lucius Malfoy is not? You scared?" Evan voiced, his own nose going even further upwards. Despite his haughty gaze, he looked surprised that Malfoy even agreed to the bet in the first place, in fact everyone looked stunned.

"No. I am not scared, but I am realistic. I am not a miracle worker, but I can promise this; the little Black girl will be darling

of Slytherin house by the end of next year."

Both boys eventually reached an agreement on the terms and specifics of their bet after several more moments of arguing. Satisfied with their deal, and each feeling that the other would surely lose the bet at hand, they nodded at each other. Both Rosier and Malfoy smirked at each other, saying "It's a deal, then," and shook hands.

And that was that, Narcissa supposed.

Later on in life, Narcissa would look back and laugh. She would laugh at her child like belief that all would be just as it appeared to her, and that nothing would evolve. She would laugh at he naivety, in believing that nothing would come from that bet, the bet that changed her life. She would laugh because if she knew just what that bet would change into, she would have ran, ran right out the doors like Elisa Goyle only she would have never stopped until she was as far away from those boys as possible.

Andromeda was no help whatsoever. In fact, she was basically doing nothing but making a god-awful racket as she struggled to control her laughter.

"Knock it off! You are supposed to be the nice, supportive older sister!" Narcissa pleaded pointlessly. "Stop acting like Bella!"

Her words just sent her older sister into another round of giggles. She could have responded, but if she did Narcissa didn't hear her.

"It's not funny! It's embarrassing! What would mother say?"

Andi nodded frantically before wiping a tear from her eye. "Yes, it is positively hilarious. And mother is gone, and it is time for you to develop your own ideas without her. Did I smudge my makeup?"

"Andromeda! I am serious! And why do you care if your makeup is smudged?" Narcissa raised her eyebrow. In truth, she didn't really blame her sister for laughing, but she wasn't lying when she said she was embarrassed. Positively mortified is a much better description. What really bugged her was the fact her sister was caring about makeup. Andi always claimed she didn't have time for makeup, and that she looked better than the girls who bothered with it anyways. "You never wear makeup."

Andi stopped laughing suddenly. She practically stopped breathing. For a few moments she just stared at the small blonde in front of her. Andromeda blinked, and physically jerked herself out of her stunned state and smirked. "Now that would be telling."

"Tell me! Are you seeing someone? Who? Do I know him?" Narcissa bounced up and down in her seat.

Andromeda pushed herself suddenly out of her seat towards where her little sister was sitting. Placing her index finger over Narcissa's lips, she hissed out "Shhhhhh! We are not the only ones in here!"

After dinner ended, both of the girls had hastily retreated to their favorite corner in their commons room. In that corner sat two overstuffed armchairs and a small side table in between them. The location was pushed further away from where most of their housemates would gather- The majority surrounded Malfoy and Rosier next in the center of the room- but it was by no means secluded.

Luckily for them, the majority of the Slytherins had their attention focused on the two boys. The girls in the room, save the Black sisters huddled in the corner, were doing one of two things. The first group of girls surrounded the most elite of the pureblood boys, such as Malfoy and Rosier. Many of these girls were in _very _compromising positions- some of them even went as far as to sit on the boy's lap's or run their fingers through their hair. The second group of girls glared at the first group, half of whom were jealous that they were deemed unworthy to sit with them, or they were disgusted by the way they threw themselves at the boys.

Andromeda glanced nervously around her before fixing a pointed glare at Narcissa. "We aren't going to talk about this now. Not here. I will tell you later." She half hissed, half whispered these words. She removed her finger from her younger sisters lips and sat back in her seat.

Narcissa just nodded at her sister, planning on pestering her for more details as soon as they were alone.

"How is your potions essay going?" Andromeda obviously tried to change the subject. She inspected her nails and picked off the remains of her blue nail polish.

"Easy, as to be expected. Professor Slughorn always gives me O's. It is the history of magic that is really a pain. Professor Bins seems to dislike me for whatever reason." Narcissa shrugged her narrow shoulders. "Not that it really matters in the end, he can never find a legitimate reason to dock points off my work."

"Oh, Bins hasn't liked any of the Black's since Bellatrix blew up his office in her third year."

"That makes since, actually. Whenever someone mentions the Voluptua curse he looks particularly nervous."

"That was Bellatrix?"

Narcissa jumped at the sound of a deep voice from behind her. She looked up to find Lucius's tall figure looming over her. From the other side of the room she received several glares from the girls who were sitting next to him earlier.

"Who else would blow up a teacher's office?" Andromeda grinned a bit.

Lucius's hands gripped the back of Narcissa's chair. "Why did she do it?" He started drumming his fingers on the chair, causing Narcissa to lean foreword in annoyance. She hated noises that were inconsistent, and he didn't seem to have a rhythm as he tapped his fingers behind her.

"She said something about not getting what she deserved as a grade, but we all know that isn't true. She never put much effort in her school work." Andromeda shrugged, then looked down at a book that she had pulled out of her bag. She was obviously done with the conversation.

Narcissa, on the other hand, had began to develop a slight headache. She knew she lacked her sister's skills to end a conversation, in fact, she almost never engaged in conversations to begin with. She just avoided people as much as possible, and usually people never seemed to talk to her that long anyways. The problem was, Lucius seemed to be waiting for her to say something.

Narcissa picked up the nearest book in her bag, hoping that if she ignored him he would just go away. She couldn't just ignore him though, she could hardly pay attention to the words on the page in front of her. She could feel him lean against the back of her chair and could still hear every _thump _of his fingers against the chair.

After about five minutes, it became apparent to Narcissa that the Malfoy boy was not going anywhere anytime soon, at least not without her saying anything.

"Can I help you?" She sneered, glaring at the tall blonde looming over her.

Malfoy's grey eyes looked down at her, and his lips quirked up ever so slightly. "I was wondering when you would say something. You have been staring at that one page for the past five minutes. Do you need me to define a word for you? Perhaps you are confused and need some help? Of course you wouldn't be so confused if you looked at the books that were more for your level, like-"

"What do you want? I need to study." Narcissa cut him of, snapping the book shut in her lap and clenching her fists as a way to restrain her from clobbering the annoying boy with the potions book she had taken from the library in the family mansion. It would be terrible, after all, for the old book's binding if she were to hit the boy's remarkably thick head with it.

"Maybe I am bored."

"Then go back to your harem, they are calling for you, you know." Narcissa hissed under her breath.

Lucius looked back to the group of girls she was referring to. Alice Greengrass beckoned him with her index finger, while the other two girls beside her (Brianna Nott and Arianna Parkinson) pouted at the Malfoy heir. Lucius winked at them before returning his attention to the small blonde next to him. "They get boring after a while. It is just too _easy_ with them, no challenge at all."

Narcissa resisted the urge to gag.

"Anyways," Malfoy continued, "I'm not here for that. Meet me in the astronomy towers once you are finished with your tests."

He didn't stay long enough to give Narcissa the time to respond. Later, Narcissa realized that this was probably a good thing, because his flippant words sent her into another mini panic attack at the mention of her O.W.L.S

**AN: Okay, my lovelies, I need some prompts to help combat this awful writer's block. If you could pm those to me or write them down in a review, that would be splendid. :) **


	5. Chapter 4

Lucius found Narcissa in the library, nestled between two stacks of books. She was so small that one would only notice her if they had purposely gone off in search of her.

"I told you to meet me in the astronomy tower."

Narcissa sighed and closed her book. "I know you did. I never said that I would go."

"You were _supposed _to go." Lucius's grey eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Oh, so I was supposed to go. Pray, tell me, who is the authority behind this command?" Narcissa glared right back at Malfoy.

Her tests had gone well, she assumed, though she wouldn't know for sure until she got her results back. Yet despite finishing her exams, she was still anxious, maybe even more anxious than she was before she took them. Before she was called for her O.W.L.S she had fully intended to meet Lucius later that day, but by the time she had finished she was too exhausted to put up with his attitude. So she went to the library to finish reading her potions book. She hadn't thought that Lucius would come looking for her.

_"I _told you that _you _were _supposed _to go." He snarled back.

Narcissa cringed back a bit, his tone reminding her a bit of her eldest sister. Whenever Bellatrix used that tone, it meant that someone or something was about to get broken. She dropped her gaze back down to the floor and whispered, "I am not in the mood."

"I am not going to wait for you be in the mood. If I waited for you to feel like doing something, nothing would get accomplished."

He grabbed her elbow and pulled her to her feet, causing her book to fall to the ground.

"Stop it! Let go of me!" Narcissa tried to pull her arm away, but he was stronger than her. His years of playing Seeker for Slytherin house had toned his muscles far more than Narcissa ever could. "At least let me get my book." She whimpered the last bit, pouting her lips like she did when she tried to get her father to buy her something she wanted.

Malfoy scowled at her, but released her anyways. She darted away and returned in a matter of seconds with her book in her hand. Glancing at Malfoy she frowned when she saw he was frozen from surprise. He didn't think that she would come back once he let her go. Narcissa didn't wait up for him, instead she went and stalked out of the library by herself.

Grumbling to herself, she loaded her book back into her backpack. She had half a mind to go back to her dormitories, where Lucius couldn't follow her. She never agreed to any of this, anyways, so why should she have to put up with their stupid bet? She figured, that in the long run, it would probably be better just to go to the astronomy tower and wait for Malfoy. He was already angry that she didn't show up earlier, if she left again she had no doubt that he would break something.

Narcissa looked up when Lucius caught up with her. He was still fuming, and refused to acknowledge her. It sounded like he was muttering insults like "that bitch" or "stupid little girl" under his breath. She chose to act like she couldn't hear him.

The two of them received an odd mixture of looks as they made their way to the astronomy tower. A couple of passing Hufflepuffs whispered, "Who is that? I don't think I have ever seen her before." Some Gryffindors muttered things like "Poor girl," or " Wonder what she ever did to end up with that snake". The Ravenclaw and Slytherin girls they passed looked jealous. Other than that, most of people who noticed anything gave them glares.

Narcissa frowned, irritated that people seemed to think that they were an item. She would be inclined to agree with the Gryffindors if that were the case. How Elisa Goyle managed to stand him for so long (a staggering two months) was beyond her.

Lucius threw open the door to the astronomy tower, and flopped onto the ledge of the window. "I suppose I ought to teach you something." He sighed, kicking his legs up so he was half sitting, and half laying down. "What are your talents? What are you good at?"

Narcissa, who was awkwardly standing by the door, shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not very good at anything, other than reading."

"That basically is nothing, not for our purposes. You need to learn some more habits."

"What purposes? And why do I need to learn more habits? I have good habits!" Narcissa was confused, and slightly anxious. She had just finished learning for the year, she just finished her O.W.L.S for crying out loud!

"Let me be perfectly blunt. You are a terrible pureblood lady of high society. You don't socialize, you can't hold a decent conversation, you don't have any friends. I made a bet that you would be the darling of our society by the end of next school year, and I intend to win that bet. You are a good little book worm, you are the highest in your class, but that isn't the most important thing for a person of your lineage. We are going to fix that." Lucius barely looked at her as he said this, opting instead to toss a stolen snitch up in the air and catch it repeatedly. "If you can do this, you will save your family eventual embarrassment from your lack of social abilities."

Narcissa said nothing, knowing that he was right.

"Your current habits are great when it comes to avoiding people and studying. You just need to learn habits pertaining to social interaction. Those habits will eventually turn into talents, and you need those talents to be a proper pureblood lady."

"Okay, where do we start." She sat down on the window ledge next to him.

"I would say that you need to make some friends that aren't your sister, but in order to do that you would have to actually talk to someone first." He moved his legs a bit so she could have a little more space. "I would suggest that you talk to some people who are in your year, preferably in Slytherin, but someone from Ravenclaw would be acceptable as well. You don't have a lot of time to do that this year, but try anyways to talk to some one before you leave for the summer. You can make friends during parties that take place during the break, I suppose."

Narcissa just nodded. Lucius was talking more than she ever heard him talk before, which was saying something. He was a talkative individual by nature, seemingly always needing the attention of the world. The world seemingly was willing to give their attention to the Malfoy heir. Girls, money, media, they all vied for Lucius Malfoy's time.

"I expect you to owl me at least once a week to let me know of your progress." He stood up suddenly, calling over his shoulder as he left, "I really need to go. Someone is waiting for me, and I would hate to keep them waiting. Bye, Narcissa."

Narcissa just sat there, a bit stunned with the turn of events. She stayed up in the astronomy tower instead of going downstairs. She looked out of the window that she was sitting next to, watching the remaining students mill about hundreds of feet below her.

She knew that it would be good for her in the long run if she were to learn how to be a little more social, but she really didn't want to. Why was it unacceptable for her to prefer books to people? People were silly, and frivolous, and just plain ridiculous at times. She didn't want to be like them, like the other pureblood girls she knew. Andromeda was okay, she supposed, but all the rest were crazy. They were selfish, shallow, obsessive, and just plain mean. She didn't want to be like them. She didn't want to be like the girls last night in the commons room, throwing themselves at anything that even slightly resembled a man. She didn't want the most important thing she ever accomplished in her life to be marrying a wealthy, handsome, pureblood man and having his children. She wanted more for herself.

_Just because you are learning to be a bit more social doesn't mean that you will be like them, _Narcissa thought. _In fact, this could be a good learning experience for you. It would be what mother would have liked. _

Narcissa made it back to the commons room just before curfew. The room was nearly empty, except a tall third year boy who had fallen asleep on the sofa near the fireplace. The little blonde looked at him in disgust as he started to snore rather noisily, but continued to her favorite seat in the back of the room. She pulled out her potions book once again and began to read.

_The monstrumaserum is a powerful, long lasting potion that was created by Carvellos de'Fatum during the Dark Ages. This potion gradually alters the drinker's personality, causing the person to slowly become insane. This potion will also obliviate any previous memories from three hours prior. These memories will be permanently obliviated. This potion is most effective when ingested, but when applied to the skin it may cause headaches and trouble concentrating. If enough is applied to the skin it can cause minor short term memory loss and severe mood swings until it wears off a five weeks later. Use this potion with extreme contact. _

Narcissa looked up from her reading when she heard a the portrait swing open to reveal none other than her sister. She scowled at her, about to lecture her about being out past curfew when she noticed Andromeda's appearance.

Andi, was first off blushing, her hair a bit askew despite her attempts to smooth it out. She had a few blades of grass trapped in her messy curls, as well as dirt and grass stains on her uniform. A faint scrape showed just below her the hem of her skirt. All in all, it looked to Narcissa that she had gotten in a fight, but she was _smiling. _

Andromeda looked around the room to see if her entrance had gone unnoticed. She didn't see her little sister in the corner of the room, and didn't see her startled expression, so she crept as quietly as possible toward her dorm.

When Narcissa gave a little cough, Andi nearly fell down the stairs.

"What are you doing here?" Andromeda hissed as she regained her balance.

"Reading." Narcissa raised her eyebrow. "What were you doing out in the grass."

"Nothing." Andromeda attempted to sneer at her sister, but she ended up giggling instead.

_Andi's giggling?_

"Nothing wouldn't have gotten dirt on your robes. Tell me, or I will tell Bellatrix." Narcissa stood up a bit straighter, hoping that Andromeda wouldn't see through her lie.

If left with a choice in the matter, Narcissa would not involve Bella in anything. She was exceedingly harsh, and often times violent. Yet because she was the oldest, she became the lead female figure in their family, often times making decisions in regard to her younger sisters. Because Bellatrix was three and half and five years older than her sisters, Andromeda and Narcissa thought her control was a bit unfair. But ever since their mother passed away, they didn't the desire to argue with their family unless things got really out of hand.

"No you won't." Andi smirked. "But I will tell you anyways, I promised to earlier."

**A/N: Ohhhh! The plot thickens :)**

**Thank you Conniesc97 and AliceInNeverland (Guest)** **for your reviews. You guys made my day :)**


	6. Chapter 5

"You have been seeing a _Hufflepuff_? Are you_ serious_?!"

Andromeda just sat there and inspected her perfectly groomed nails, picking at her cuticles. Narcissa was anxiously pacing back and forth in front of her sister, pressing her own nails into the soft skin of her palms. Her face was flushed, her eyes basically bulging out of her sockets.

"Are you _insane_? Do you want to give Bellatrix another reason to get arrested? This Hufflepuff," she spat, "he will be_ slaughtered_ if she finds out!"

"Well she wont find out if you stop screaming," Andi said in a surprisingly calm voice. "If you keep it up, the whole House will know."

"A Hufflepuff!"

Narcissa only hissed this, not because she heard her sister, but because her rant was winding down. Unlike their eldest sister, she rarely raised her voice, and was almost never violent. When she was agitated to the point of yelling, her tantrums usually didn't last very long.

"Yes. A Hufflepuff. We already covered this."

"Please tell me his a Pureblood." Narcissa silently pleaded with whatever divine entity there was that her sister's new love interest wasn't a Mudblood. Maybe Bellatrix would settle for just severely hexing the person as opposed to killing him.

Narcissa's question was met with an awkward silence. Thinking at first that Andromeda didn't hear her question, she repeated herself. Again, a tense quiet was her only response.

A feeling of foreboding flooded Narcissa, causing her to turn completely white. "Is he a half blood?"

Silence again.

"Andromeda..." Narcissa looked like she was about to cry. She mumbled incoherently, trying to find words. Small drops of tears started to roll down her cheeks, and a small sob shook her small frame.

"Shh, Nissa." Andromeda pulled her sister into a hug and rubbed her back. "Don't cry, Nissa."

"Is it serious? Are you in- in-" Narcissa couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence. She just gestured in the air surrounding her.

"I wouldn't be telling you right now if I wasn't."

Narcissa's face contorted at this. She pulled the sleeve of her robe down and wiped at her face. "Andromeda, if anyone finds out-"

"They won't. I promise."

"They will eventually. How long are you going to keep this up? Eventually father will want you to marry someone. You can't keep this us for forever."

"I know. I will figure something out. Please keep quiet about this until then."

Narcissa shook her head violently. "You can't figure a way out of this and still be together with him. Not unless you are going to keep him as your- um..."

"I don't think you should finish that sentence, Nissa." Andromeda glared. "And that would never happen. I _will _figure something out, I promise."

Lucius would not be pleased with Narcissa's "progress".

She was sitting quietly between her two sisters at a welcome home dinner hosted by the Lestrange's. Not Rudolphus and Bellatrix, but the elder Lestrange's. The dinner party was thrown in celebration of yet another successful year of school for the social elite, or at least that is what they were telling people. Everyone really knew that they were trying to marry off their youngest son, Rabastan, to someone they deemed respectable.

Rabastan Lestrange was frail, thin, and sickly looking. On top of that, he had a nervous disposition that made holding a conversation with him difficult. He wasn't particularly bright, and did nothing in the way of hobbies that made him interesting. All in all, any respectable Pureblood lady would run as quickly as possible in the opposite direction if marriage with him was brought up.

His parents, Giovanni and Leonna Lestrange, unfortunately refused to acknowledge their youngest son's inadequacies. How they managed to overlook this was beyond Narcissa's comprehension, but the little gatherings continued in their efforts to pressure someone into marrying their poor excuse for a Pureblood.

Narcissa shuffled in her seat a bit, trying to avoid Lucius Malfoy's pointed look in her direction. A few times someone had addressed a statement towards her, providing her an opportunity to start a conversation, and potentially make a friend. Each time, however, Narcissa mumbled something in response and they eventually left.

Lucius was not the only one who was annoyed with the youngest Black's behavior. Bellatrix had jabbed Narcissa's ribs with her elbow at least three times, before eventually hissing under her breath, "Get your act together or I will convince father to marry you off to that sop!" She pointed the end of her curved wand at Rabastan, who had just spilled the contents of his goblet down his front.

Bellatrix smirked at the look of horror that contorted Narcissa's face.

"You wouldn't do that. He is your brother-in-law. That would be a bit awkward, don't you think." Narcissa, even though she knew the words were true, couldn't quite put the force behind the words that she wanted to.

Bella's smirk just grew wider. She didn't respond to her little sister at that moment because he husband chose that moment to whisper something in her ear that caused her to laugh.

Narcissa did her best not to blush, but her sister was too flamboyant about her relationship at times. She and Rudolphus were loud, blunt, and hopeless flirts. When they weren't feeling each other up, they were cursing each other into oblivion. At the moment Narcissa felt that they were engaging in the former, if the wicked grins on their faces were any indication.

"Welcome, everyone!"

The hostess stood up, tapping her glass delicately as to get the room's attention. Leonna Lestrange was tall, stately, and intimidating. She had a full, nearly overweight figure, completely opposite of that of her youngest son's. Her long black hair was pulled sharply from her face, making her features seem all the more round. Her voice carried well, though more deep and raspy than that of the average ladies.

"Today, we are gathered to welcome our beloved children home from yet another year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

Andromeda and Bellatrix both snorted at the pompous woman standing before her guests. Narcissa just sighed and did her best to look like she was paying attention. Mrs. Lestrange's welcome home speech included ramblings about her own golden days at school, how she met her 'true love'. She finally concluded with a long tirade about how they, the Purebloods and the role models for society, must band together and stay close amidst these troubled and turbulent times.

All three of the Black sisters rolled their eyes, each one smirking at the pure ridiculousness of their hostess.

Once the tiresome speech was finished, guests were invited to mingle about the grounds. The weather was fairly nice that night, so most of the guests congregated in the gardens. There were several benches arranged carefully on the various pathways that lead to different gardens. Small tea lights hovered above the paths, casting a soft and subtle glow over their surroundings. Many people began to dance in the glow, as a small quartet softly played on the patio.

Narcissa was forced to admit that the effect was gorgeous. Despite whatever defects the Mrs. Lestrange had, she did know how to decorate. Or at least she knew how to hire someone to do it for her.

"I thought that you were going to try to be a bit more sociable?"

Lucius leaned was sitting on one of the benches. He was watching the dancers, but his gaze flicked to look at Narcissa from the corner of his eye. "You could have attempted, at the very least. Hell, my deceased grandmother would have done better."

Narcissa just frowned and ducked her head a bit. She refused to acknowledge someone who was ruining a perfectly lovely evening. She had managed to avoid conversation with Mrs. Lestrange, something that Malfoy surely wouldn't disapprove of. She knew that if Leonna Lestrange were to find her and drag her into a conversation, she would have to spend an ungodly amount of time hearing about how great Rabastan is, and how they may be able to get along so well.

Truthfully, each time it was brought up, Narcissa had the urge to plunge an expensive sliver encrusted knife into her throat.

So, to prevent herself from doing such, she found a fairly secluded area of the gardens, intending to stay there for the duration of the party. Here, she was able to stay away from the loud mass of people as well as the Lady Lestrange.

"I said that I was going to try. I never said when. I will get to it later." Narcissa said quietly.

Malfoy sighed dramatically, "Seems that you won't get anything done without me." He thrust his hand towards her.

"What do you mean?" She eyed the offered hand with caution.

"I am going to introduce you to some people."

An hour later, Lucius was satisfied with Narcissa's progress. She had met several of Lucius's friends and some girls that were in her year, including a couple of girls who attended Beauxbatons. One of the girls, Sabine Laurendeau, actually seemed pleasant enough to Narcissa. They talked for a considerable amount of time before parting, promising to owl each other over the summer.

"There you are, Narcissa! I was just telling Bellatrix how nicely you have grown." Leonna Lestrange said, pulling her fingers through the blonde's hair. Behind her, Bellatrix was making a gaging motion. "How lucky you are, to become so beautiful at so young of an age. Not all of us are blessed that way! Good thing that one's aesthetic appeal is not the most important aspect in our society. One's blood status if infinitely more important, wouldn't you agree, Narcissa dear?"

"Oh, ah, of course." Narcissa said as diplomatically as possible. She carefully distanced herself from the Lady Lestrange to keep her hair in the perfect order that it was in before the hostess got her hands on it. "Purity is the most important thing that there is."

"Glad to hear." Mrs. Lestrange smirked. "Rabastan, dear, why don't you come say hello to Narcissa?"

Narcissa scowled at Bellatrix, who had a hand covering her mouth to stifle her laughs. Rabastan had changed out of the clothes that he had spilled wine all over, so he didn't look so nearly as pathetic as he could. He was perpetually crooked, it seemed, from his time spent hunched over in a corner acting like he didn't exist. Even with that being said, he still towered over most people. His complexion was pale like nearly all of the purebloods, but his had a more yellow tint. He was thin, so thin he resembled more of a twig than anything else. To make things even worse, he had a perpetual stutter, a shocking ignorance of manners, and was slow witted.

To sum up the situation, Narcissa would prefer to engage in a conversation with a dementor than with Rabastan Lestrange. Despite her feelings on the matter, for as long as she could remember their parents had put them together as often as possible.

As she grew older, she realized that the two families had hoped to join their children together in holy matrimony to further their fortunes and power. Despite Rudolphus and Bellatrix getting married, Leonna Lestrange pushed for a union between her youngest and Narcissa.

"H-he-llo, Miss Bl-b-black." Rabastan stammered. He refused to make eye contact, preferring to stare at his shuffling feet.

"Good evening." Narcissa nodded curtly, looking equally awkward.

"Good," Lady Lestrange nodded to herself and left to go talk the ears off of the Parkinson twins.

"How have your classes been this year, Rabastan?" Narcissa only asked out of politeness.

"G-g-ood-d, I g-guess."

"G-good-d y-y-ouu g-g-uess. H-how pa-pa-pathet-t-ic c-can y-you b-b-be?" Bellatrix mocked, twitching her shoulders between every stutter. She nearly knocked herself to the ground with this movement, but she managed to clumsily collect herself before hitting the gravel. "And you call yourself a Lestrange!"

"Bella," Narcissa warned.

"No, Cissy. He is a filthy squib parading around as one of us. His mother is a stupid whore who should be ashamed that she ever birthed anything so absolutely pathetic. He isn't even a Lestrange!"

"Wh-what do y-you mean-n?" Rabastan demanded, his face flushing as he straightened up a bit more.

"I-I mean-n t-that y-our-r mummy d-dear-rest-t," Bella jabbed his chest with her index finger, "couldn't keep her legs shut and let some filthy mud-blood knock her up." She hissed out these words in a soft, mocking tone. Only Rabastan and Narcissa could hear her speak.

"Bella... Are you drunk?" Narcissa pulled her older sister's arm a bit, surprised that she swayed a bit precariously from the motion.

"Course she is." Rudolphus grabbed his wife's other arm. Behind him, Lucius Malfoy and Andromeda were smirking.

"Can you take her away before she does something completely foolish?" Andi said.

"Yeah," Rudolphus nodded. "Come on Bells, time to go."

Lucius was unable to contain his laughter as he watched Rudolphus lead his drunken wife away. Rudolphus had to pull away Bella's wand after she _incendo'd_ a nearby planter, nearly setting Goyle's fat wife on fire. This caused Bella to laugh uncontrollably at the "pudgy, pumpkin of a bore," as she so called her.

"She is never gonna live this down!" Lucius exclaimed, dramatically clutching at his sides. "I knew coming would be worth my time."

"Is that the only reason you would come?" Narcissa asked.

"Sure. These parties would be boring if someone didn't get drunk and make a complete fool of themselves. So long as you aren't the fool, it is very entertaining."

"Oh."

"Well, I guess not the only reason I come. Tell me, Cissa, how good are you at dancing?"

"Um, well, fairly decent." Narcissa frowned a bit. "Must I dance though?"

"Yes. Consider it as part of your lessons." He smirked as he took her hand and pulled her with him to where the other dancers swayed.

**A/N: Yay! Bella made an appearance! :) She is definitely one of my favorite characters. **


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